Tropical Angus: Brazil Has the First Genetically Edited Calves in Latin America

For the first time in Latin American history, genetically edited calves focused on heat resistance have been born, and this achievement is 100% Brazilian. Understand step by step this new technology in the video below. The breakthrough was presented on the Giro do Boi program this Wednesday (2), in an interview with researcher Luiz Sérgio de Almeida Camargo, from Embrapa Dairy Cattle (MG). According to him, this innovation represents a watershed moment for national and tropical cattle breeding. Five tropical Angus calves were born between March and April from in vitro fertilized embryos and submitted to the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic editing technique, known as "precision genetic improvement". Two of them already have short and smooth hair, proving success in the experiment. This characteristic favors the thermal control of the animals, increasing their comfort and productivity in hot climates. The technology used, CRISPR/Cas9, acts like a "genetic scissors" capable of editing specific ...